My one act play 'Greetings from the Trenches' completed

A couple of weeks ago I had eight pages of text out of a possible twenty completed and a synopsis and an ending in the bag. I wanted the piece to be just over an hour with no interval.

In order to complete the rest I went through all my research notes that I had unhelpfully filed in several notebooks and scraps of paper. To get a bigger picture of how the play would look I got a large sheet of paper about three foot by four foot and roughly marked it out with a good amount of squares. Each square counted as one page. This meant I could instantly fill in the first eight squares with rough plot notes. As I progressed I circled the squares where I believed there was a change in the dramatic journey. I don't know if this common practice as I just went on instinct and wanted a visual resource to work from. Plus, it is good to see you are actually getting somewhere in the writing.

 

 

So, up to page eight the script established the characters on stage and spoke of them and their relationships with a slight edge of mystery and quirkiness. Pages nine and ten continue luxuriously in letters about the two men's love of meat and then we get a supernatural event where Frank is compelled to write his famous poem - The Two Butchers. The tone changes and we start to delve into notions of exchange not just of letters but of creative ideas and Frank dreaming about famous people, historically and contemporarily to them in the 1920s, offering him and Hans creative advice in a dream café. By page twelve Hans has written about his rescue of a drowning dog and he includes a poem in German about a trench dog called Wolf. All the German language translations were done by my German friend Thorsten Feldman. My co- star Emma Brown has been kind enough to offer some advice on presenting various aspects of dramatic text mirroring the way of a musical composer. In particular she suggested talking about the ideas of The Two Butchers poem ie 'anti war - creation vs destruction' rather than trying to write Frank's fictional famous poem itself. All the poems in the piece are written by me other than Arthur Rimbaud's poetic work - Sensation.

Three more poems are included in the next three pages including a key poem Am Durlacher Tor written by Hans after falling from the tram. He sees this event as a near death experience in peace time and hopes it is not premonition. Am Durlacher Tor is spoken creatively both in English and German by Frank and his daughter.

Frank writes back with the first of two confidential letters about his feelings of melancholia and possible suicidal thoughts including the poem Falling In Melancholia.

Pages sixteen and seventeen give us a comical insight into what turns out to be Hans' obsession with the Karlsruhe tram system and its history. I have tried to write this to be shared between Frank and his daughter and read with amusement and I guess enjoyment at some cheery news from Hans without them encouraging his obsession too much.

By page eighteen we start to really understand how these two former combatants are finding their creative feet with ideas of inspiring themselves in their writing of poetry and in developing ideas.

In the case of the German Hans he imagines cabinets of curiosity - the Wunder Kammer - as his motivator and (at a much later date) I introduced a song into the following pages sung by Frank. I have called it 'If I had a Door'. This is based on a question I was asked at the entrance interview by professor John Newling. He actually gave me the idea of a brick and asked me, in a creative sense, what I would do with it to create something artistic or thought provoking. As there are several times during the play that Frank hears whispered requests to 'Open The Doors' I have chosen a door as the motivator.

I made a short video of the tune to demonstrate what it should sound like. And to be sung better too! I had a cold and didn't want to freak out the neighbours!



This song was only introduced after I thought I had finished the play and then I got the tune in my head and developed the lyrics over a couple of days to the point where I felt they conveyed what I wanted to convey. That being the creative doors of his mind being utterly inspired and his letting in all these influences.

If I had a door: final written draft

There is another piece of piano music I have called The Missing (visited in a previous blog post) and I have decided to keep it just the piano with no lyrics and it may get extended.

For the remainder of the play we hear that Hans is getting inspired and healed by new anti war poetry and books like All Quiet On The Western Front and the poetry of Gerrit Engelke. Frank and Winifred share good news about the new baby Madeleine and Hans gets new work in the city library. Frank writes to Hans with a new confession - the true reason why his daughter is called Madeleine and Hans writes back. Emma Brown sings Sensation by Arthur Rimbaud at the piano in connection with the Madeleine back story. Is that the end? No, but I suggest you get out the hankies because things get decidedly weird in the last two pages and there is a huge surprise for the audience in the last few seconds of the play.

For a blogpost about the first read through click HERE

Our Friends The Enemy - On tour - Catch it while you can!

There are various plays that make some connection with the Christmas truce of 1914 – 'Oh What a Lovely War' being one, Robin Kingsland's play 'All Quiet On The Western Front' similarly and now a one man show called 'Our Friends The Enemy' written and performed by Alex Gwyther. Alex Gwyther is a writer and performer and has performed across the country at venues and festivals and events such as Oxford University, The Royal Festival Hall, Latitude Festival and The Mayor of London's Week of Peace in Trafalgar Square. Having been fascinated by the story of the Christmas truce, Alex Gwyther initially wrote the piece as a spoken word poem, which he has performed in front of a thousand strong audience at the Mayor of London’s Week of Peace. He has also been invited to perform at a Remembrance Service in aid of Help for Heroes and St. Dunstan’s Charity on three separate occasions. His style has been described as unique and of a 'tumbling urbane' nature and his works are published by Nasty Little Press and Burning Eye Books.

Gwyther's one man play 'Our Friends The Enemy' looks at the period 10^th December 1914 to January 5^th 1915 from the viewpoint of a young English private in his own trench at Armentières and the trenches of the Germans (mainly the 134^th Saxons) opposite. He talks to the audience in a mix of friendly chat and poetic description interspersed, when you least expect it, with a verbal blast of sudden devastation that hits the heart as accurately as a sniper's bullet.

This is an unselfish piece as the narrative roams like a ghost among the trenches and sits alongside men from both sides and tells of their confusion, their freezing feet, the comfort of a cigarette or a cuppa made in a billy can on a fire. A slice of bacon becomes a lifeline to normality and a reminder of peace times back home Britain or in Germany. The enemy turn out to be 'a nice bunch of chaps from across the way'. The piece is told with a knowledgeable and authentic voice.

A grenade is lobbed into the English trenches and the entrenched soldiers freeze with fear as they play cards. The next fraction of a second could be their last. Only the grenade turns out to a small stone with crumbled paper tied around it. On the paper, in writing written on an uneven surface it says “Merry Christmas Englishmen!” It is from the Germans.

 

 

 

An uneven truce happens with enemies becoming friendly and swopping greetings and addresses, offering simple gifts instead of shells and gunfire. Christmas trees lit up with candles top the German trenches and festive songs and hymns are sung by both sides in this unexpected and historic lull in The Great War. At one point a football match between the two sides ensues and a madcap pursuit of a large hare by English and German soldiers that takes us thrillingly across no-man's land and down into the trenches is relayed by the soldier narrator. Photographs are taken of the mixed grey and khaki groups and Gywther's character James Boyce brings them all believably and poignantly to life. Fraternisation with the enemy could have serious and even deadly personal consequences which private James Boyce comes to realise in this short but excellently written play.

The play is directed by Tom O'Brien and produced by David Adkin in association with Theatre Bench and Robin Raynor. The musical composition is done by Darren Clark and the design created by James Hirst. Theatre Bench was launched in October 2012 to support the development of new works in theatre and dance. 'Our Friends The Enemy' tours until 28^th November 2014. Tour details can be found HERE.

 

Production photography by Pamela Raith, Lighting by Derek Anderson and Design by Jay Hirst.

Nottingham Playhouse Youth theatre hit the trenches for neat14,

I popped into a rehearsal of a revised adaptation by Robin Kingsland of Erich Maria Remarque's classic war story All Quiet On The Western Front tonight. The rehearsal was directed by Allie Spencer and the cast were a very mature natured youth group (Nottingham Playhouse Youth Theatre). I was most impressed at the standard of acting and of commitment to the piece. The play has been especially commissioned for neat14 and shows the horror and kinship as the young Germans fight for their survival.

All Quiet On The Western Front will be part of the neat14 festival and of course one of many plays being performed in Nottingham and countrywide that concern themselves with The Great War Centenary. Detail of the show and booking facilities can be found HERE.

Rehearsal images of two harrowing bombardment scenes featuring the cast and the young actor playing the hero Paul Baumer. The story follows their lives, their dreams, their victories and their tragedies as they fight on the German front line.